~ ~Poetry by Shirley Allard~

Lost at Sea

I travel through the night on waves of steel
The pounding of the sea against my side
With tired, trusted hands upon my wheel
It seems I’m only in it for the ride
My name is branded proudly on my skin
I’m built to brave the storm or ride the tide
So many mates have gone and come again
To swab my deck with diligence and pride
The mighty ocean swallows me and groans
Then spits me out to swallow me again
I have no destinations of my own
Or memories of places I have been
Though tantamount to each successful trip
Without a crew I’m just a wayward ship

10 thoughts on “Lost at Sea”

A lonely voyage–it makes me think of someone with Alzheimer’s who has weathered all the storms and yet has nothing left to hang on to…no memories or recognition of loved ones. I guess I’m in a somber mood today…

Shirley, I assume this is meant to be symbolic and it serves that purpose well, but just yesterday I was flipping through the channels and stopped on the “Deadliest Catch” (mainly because it was being broadcast in HD). They had lost contact with one of the crabbing boats and launched a search. To make a long story short, they found one of the crew alive and one dead, the rest missing at sea. This just reminded me of the lonliness of such a career. Think I’ll stick with an office job. Good post!